Connecting and tightening device



May lZ2, 1928.

J. R. REYBURN CONNECTING AND TIGHTENING DEVICE Filed Sept. 1l, 1926 /III Patented Mey 22, 1928.

unirsfeg sfr.rifasA y JOHN R'. Ravenna, or" rnrnrnnn, continenten@'lissfeiroit TorAiirnnIeANloirsIN- COMPANY INC., AooRPoRA'rIoN or'NEw Yoan.

CONNETI'NG AND' TIGHTENIGnEvreE.

Apnication mea september 1,1, 1926. serial No. 134,764'.-

This invention relates to improvements in devices for connecting two sections or. ends of chain, wire,l or the like, and particularly to such devices in which means are provided for drawing the sections or ends towards each other with considerable' tension.

A specific application of my invention is the connecting' and tightening of the side chains of .anti-skid devices for vehicle wheels. 1

l An objectof the invention is to provide a construction which permits of employing leverage to draw the chainV ends together and in which an improved locking means' is used for locking the chain ends in connected relation. v

The present invention is a modification of myprevious invention disclosed inUnited States vPatent No. 1,404,319, issued January,

Referring to the drawings: l Figure 1is a side view of my device 1n connection with two chain ends, showing theparts inunloeked position; f Figure 2 is ay sideview showing the parts in locked position; v

.Figure 3 is a top view of the device and associated chain ends, the device being i'n locked position; and', l,

Figure l is a cross-sectional view on line 1 4 of Figure 2. I Y

As shown in the drawings,my invention comprises a tension member 10 and an angle lever 11 pivoted thereto.` The tension lever consists of a plate which vhas rela-tively perinanentattachment to one of thel chains that are to be connected.' This attachment is accomplished by forming an aperture 12 in one end of the plate, through which an end link 13 of the chain is passed. For connection -withthe opposite chain end 14C I provide near the opposite orvfree end of theplatea transverse slot 15 to receive the opposite vend of link 16. The bottom of the slot is preferably rounded and the side walls of theslot arevdisposedl approximately ,at right angles to the longitudinal aXisof the plate: One`V` side of thepiateV is flat and the other is formed with a reinforcing flange and the lever.' Resilientmeansare provided to hold the lever normallylagainst the plate so that it will osoillateV in a plane parallel to the fla't' face of the plate. These means preferably consist in making the' rivet longer than the lcombined thickness ofthey plate andlever and fitting a compression Spring 19 between the flanged face of plate and a head 2O on the adjacent end of the rivet. An annular portion 21 ofthe flange 17 surrounds and protects the spring 19. /Vhile, the spring holds the lever 11"in frictional engagement with the plate@ 10, the spring ,also permits-the levers' 11 to be' swung laterally away from the plate, as indicated by broken lines in Figure 3. f

Thefangle lever 11 is formed of two arms N 1.6105669 f Pe? Enr esem-Eff 22 and 23,' disposed approximately at right.

angles to eachother. The inner arm 22', namely vthe one through which the rivet 18l passes,4 is considerabljyshorter than the outer arm 23.. A." roundedrecess 24 isform'edin the-edge Aof the lever in the angle between thesearms, and inthe edge of the arm'l 23 adjacent to' recess 2,4 is a rounded depression i or shallow recess 25. In the" opposite edge.

of the armi 23; Inear the 'outer end thereof is a'lslot 26. L The locationof the slot is such that when the lever is moved to jthe locked position, shown in Figure 2, the slot 26 will register witlrth'e aperture 12. Thev plate 10 is preferablybounded by a concave edge extending approximately to the outer mar-l gin .of the recess 2/1Vwhen the .lever 11.1is in the position shown in Figure 1. The curvature of Ithe nose 28v is carriedA` back to the point-,whererit meets the adjacent side wall 29 of the slot 15, forming at this point rounded corner 30. i The wall29 constitutes a sh'oulde1j adapted to .take the pull'ofthe link 16.` When the-parts are in locked position the outer' end `of thelever 11 overhangs the edge 27,7providing arlinger hold. .l

, Thejoperati'on Yof my device is Vasfollows: The chain ends' that are to be y'connectedv are drawn together suliiciently to permit of in-A sertinglthe lever in theleye of the endlink n 27 at the attached,end, while at `the opposite end itisfformed with ,a roundedxnose/S- tion shown' infFigure l 1, in Vwhich position the end link 1,6 will be vcali'ght in the idepression 25. The lever is then swung over` to thel position shown 1n F1gure`2', and as the lever is moved to this position, thelmk 16 is carried toward the fixed end` of the Y plate, sliding along the nose 23 until it slips over the corner and vinto the slot 15. Continued movement of the lever 11 to locking position, Vforces the link 16 into the slot 15, and when the lever reaches. the position vshown in Figure 2, Athere'cess 24 combines with ythe slot 15 toforma round aperturev v26. In this position the device is locked,

land even with the chain sections slack, there will be no tendency for the parts to become unlocked because of the positive engagement of the links 13and 16 with the respective ends of the lever 11 and its frictional engagement with the plate 10. It will be observed that when Vtension is applied 'to the chain sections, the link 16 will bear against section 22 of the lever and tend to hold the lever in locked position. vIt will be impossible to unlock'the device without iirst moving the lever downward and tilting the link upward so as to clear link 13 from the slot 261after which the lever 11 must be moved laterally against the action of the spring 19.

Vhile I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications can be resorted to without departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the following'claims.

I claim:

1.V A connecting and tightening device comprising a tension member formed with an aperture at one end to receive a chain link and with an open slot near the opposite end,

and a locking lever formed with a hook at a plane parallel with that of said tension member-and being formed with arecess intermediate its ends and a hook at its free yend adapted to hook under said link when the lever is in locked position.

3. A connecting Y and tightening device comprising a tension member and a locking lever pivotally connected end to end, the

tension member being formed with an open slot adjacent' the pivoted end and with an eye at the opposite end for attachment to a chain link, said lever4 lying wholly in a plane parallel with that of said tension member and being formed with a recess co-oper-V ating with said slot to form a closed aper ture when the lever is in locked position, said lever being also formed at the free endk with a hook oppositely disposed with respect to the recess and adapted to hook into said link. v

4. A connecting and tightening device comprising a tension member and a locking lever pivotally connected end to end, theV tenion member being formed with an openslot adjacent said pivotal connection, the lever being formed with deep recess at a distance from said pivotal connection approximately equal to the distance of the slot therefrom, the lever being also formed with aV shallow recess adjacent the deep recess onthe side remote from said pivotal connection.

5. A connecting and ltightening device comprising a tension memberand a locking lever pivotally connected end to end, the tension member being formed with an openslot adjacent said pivotal connection, and with an aperture adjacent the opposite end thereof, the lever being formed with a deep recess at a distance from said pivotal connection approximately equal to the distanoeof the slot therefrom, the lever being also formed with a shallow recess adjacent the deepy recess on the side remote from said pivotal connection and the lever being further formed with a hook oppositely disposed with respect to said recesses and at a distance from the pivotal connection approximately equal to the distance of the aperture therefrom.

6. A connecting and tightening device comprising a tension member and a locking lever pivotally connected end to end, the ten# sion member beingformed with an open slot adjacent said pivotal connection and with'an aperture adjacent'the'opposite end thereof, the lever being formed with a deep recess at. a distance from said pivotal connection approximately equal to the distance of the slot therefrom, the lever being also formed with a shallow recess adjacent the deep recess on the side remote from said pivotal connection and the lever being further` formed with a hook oppositely disposed with respect to said recesses andat a distance from the pivotal connection approximately equal'to the distance of the aperture therefrom, the free end of the lever projecting beyond the apertured end of the tension member.

7. A connecting and tightening device comprising a tension member formed with an aperture at'one end to receive a chain link and with an open slot near the opposite end, a locking lever pivotally connected to the tension member and movable to close said slot, said locking lever being formed at its free end with anA outwardly extending hook adapted to engage said link (and resilient means for normally retaining said lever in the same plane 0f oscillation relatively to said tension member.

8. A connecting and tightening device comprising a tension member and a locking lever pivotally connected to each other end to end, said tension member being provided with an aperture to receive a chain link, said lever' being provided with a hook adapted to hook into said link, said pivotal connection being established b-y means of a rivet of greater length than the combined thickness of said lever and tension member, and a spring mounted on the rivet for normally maintaining said lever in the same plane of oscillation relative to said tension means, the tension member being formed With an annular flange surrounding said spring.

9. A connecting and tightening device With an aperture to receive aychain link, said lever being provided with a hook adapted to hook into said link, said pivotal connection being established by means ofl a rivet ofy greater length than the combined thickness of said lever and tension member, and a spring mounted on the rivet for normally maintaining said lever in the same plane of oscilla-tion relative to said tension means, the tension member being formed With an annular flange surrounding said spring, and with extensions of said flange serving as marginal reinforcements of said tension member.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

A OHN R. REYBURN. 

